Jamshedpur is the headquarters of the East Singhbhum district of Jharkhand. According to the 2011 census of India, Jamshedpur (East Singhbhum & Seraikela-Kharsawan) district has current population of 1,337,131; the Jamshedpur urban agglomeration (UA), which includes the adjoining areas, Jamshedpur Urban Area is the third Largest city in Eastern India after Kolkata and Patna. It ranks 35th among the 53 million-plus cities in India.[2] It is located on the Chota Nagpur plateau and is surrounded by the picturesque Dalma Hills. The city is bordered by the rivers Subarnarekha and Kharkai on the north and west parts of the city.

Jamshedpur was declared the seventh cleanest city of India for the year 2010 according to survey by the Government of India.[3] It has been predicted as the 84th fastest growing city in the world for the timeframe 2006–2020 with average annual growth of 2.59%.[4]

Contents

Etymology1

History2

Geography3

Climate4

Demographics5

Economy6

Civic administration7

Railways7.1

Roadways7.2

Airport7.3

Education and research8

Sports9

Media10

Print media10.1

UN selection for pilot project11

Gallery12

See also13

References14

External links15

Etymology

In 1919 Lord Chelmsford named the city, which was early a village called Sakchi, to Jamshedpur in honour of its founder, Jamsetji Tata, whose birthday is celebrated on 3 March as Founder's Day. J. N. Tata had written to his son Dorabji Tata about his vision of a great city in the area. On Founders Day, the 225-acre (0.91 km2) Jubilee Park is decorated with brilliant lightwork for about a week.

The city has several nicknames, including "Industrial capital of Jharkhand" (spontaneous among native youngsters); "Steel City" (which was referenced during Tata Steel's "Green City—Clean City—Steel City" campaign); "Tatanagar" after the name of its railway station or simply "Tata" in deference to the presence of Tata companies. At one time it was also known as "Kalimati" (meaning "Land of Goddess Kali") after the village near the Sakchi area. Sakchi was renamed to Jamshedpur in 1919.[5] The only trace of the name is the main road through Sakchi area of Jamshedpur which is named Kalimati Road.

History

At the end of 19th century, Jamsetji Tata met steelmakers in Pittsburgh to get the most advanced technology for his plant. It is said that he got the idea of building a steel plant when he heard Thomas Carlyle declaring that "the nation which gains control of iron soon acquires the control of gold" in a lecture in Manchester.[6] At the turn of the twentieth century, Jamshetji Tata asked geologist Charles Page Perin to help him find the site to build India's first steel plant. The search for a site rich in iron, coal, limestone and water began in April 1904 in today's Madhya Pradesh.

The prospectors C. M. Weld, Dorabji Tata and Shapurji Saklatvala took nearly three years in a painstaking search across vast stretches of inhospitable terrain to find a location. One day they came across a village called Sakchi, on the densely forested stretches of the Chota Nagpur plateau, near the confluence of the Subarnarekha and Kharkai rivers. It seemed to be the ideal choice and the place was selected.[7]

In 1908 the construction of the plant as well as the city officially began.[7] The first steel ingot was rolled on 16 February 1912. It was a momentous day in the history of industrial India.[8]

Jamsetji's plan for the city was clear. He envisioned far more than a mere row of workers hutments. He insisted upon building all the comforts and conveniences a city could provide. As a result, many areas in the city are well planned and there are public leisure places such as the Jubilee Park. While building the city, Jamsetji Tata had said, "Be sure to lay wide streets planted with shady trees, every other of a quick growing variety. Be sure that there is plenty of space for lawns and gardens; reserve large areas for football, hockey and parks; earmark areas for Hindu temples, Muslim mosques and Christian churches."

Messrs Julin Kennedy Sahlin from Pittsburgh prepared the first layout of the town of Jamshedpur.[9] What the city looks like today is a testament to his visionary plans.[10] Jamshedpur is the only million plus city in India without a municipal corporation.

Legend has it that in the late 1980s when the state government proposed a law to end the Tatas' administration of Jamshedpur and bring the city under a municipality, the local populace rose in protest and defeated the government's proposal. In 2005, a similar proposal was once again put up by lobbying politicians. The target audience was the working class. A large majority sided with the government and set up protest meetings outside the East-Singhbhum Deputy Commissioner's office. However, the objective was never achieved and Jamshedpur remains without a municipality.[11][12][13]

Geography

Jamshedpur is situated in the southern end of the state of Jharkhand and is bordered by the states of Orissa and West Bengal. The average elevation of the city is 135 metres[14] while the range is from 129 m to 151 m.[15] Total geographical area of Jamshedpur is 150 km square.[16] Jamshedpur is primarily located in a hilly region and is surrounded by the Dalma Hills running from west to east and covered with dense forests. The other smaller hill ranges near the city are Ukam Hill and the Jadugoda-musabani hill range.[17] The city is also a part of the larger Chota Nagpur Plateau region. The region is formed of the sedimentary, metamorphic and igneous rocks belonging to the Dharwarian period.

Jamshedpur is located at the confluence of Kharkai and Subarnarekha Rivers. Subarnarekha is the principal river of Jamshedpur, which flows from west to south-eastern part of the territory. Many small rivers, especially the tributaries, join the Subarnarekha river in this area. Kharkai flows from the south and joins the Subarnarekha river at a place called Domuhani. The two rivers are the major sources of drinking water and groundwater for the city. Several lakes of varying size are also located near the fringes of the city. The major of them being the Dimna lake located in between the Dalma range and the Sitarampur reservoir situated beside Kharkai river.[18] Both of them also act as reservoirs for drinking water in the city.

The city falls under deciduous type of forest region and the green cover is estimated to be around 33% of the total land area.[19] The city falls under the Seismic Zone II region.[20]

Climate

Jamshedpur features a tropical wet and dry climate (Köppen: Aw). Summers start in mid-March and can be extremely hot in May and June. The temperature variation during summer is from 35 to 49 °C (95 to 120 °F). The minimum temperature during winters is 1 °C (34 °F). The climate of Jamshedpur is marked by south-west monsoon. Jamshedpur gets heavy rainfall from July to September and receives about 1,200 mm (47 in) of rainfall annually.

Source: India Meteorological Department (record high and low up to 2010)[21][22]

Demographics

Viewing Skyline at Jamshedpur

At the 2011 census of India,[23] Jamshedpur city proper had a population of 725,623, but the Jamshedpur Urban Agglomeration had a population of 1,337,131. The city is designated as a Million Plus Urban Agglomeration as per Government terminology.[24] Males constitute 52.1% of the population and females 47.9%. Tribals constitute around 28% of the population. Jamshedpur has an average literacy rate of 85.94% - higher than the national average of 74%. In Jamshedpur, 11.5% of the population is under six years of age.[2]

Economy

Jamshedpur is home to the first private iron and steel company of India. The areas surrounding Jamshedpur are rich in minerals, including iron ore, coal, manganesebauxite and lime. It is a modern, industrial city; the main industries being iron and steel, truck manufacturing, tinplate production, cement and other small and medium scale industries revolving around these products.

Tata Steel at Night

The largest factory is that of Tata Steel (the erstwhile Tata Iron and Steel Company or TISCO), situated almost at the center of the city. Tata Steel is the largest iron and steel producing plant in India, as well as the oldest.[25]

Tata Steel has won the Prime Minister's Trophy for Best Integrated Steel Plant for a record six times,[26] and the Deming Prize for major advances in quality improvement.

The other major factory in the city is Tata Motors with Telcon, which manufactures heavy vehicles and construction/earth moving equipment. Tata Motors was previously called The Tata Engineering and Locomotive Company (TELCO), as railway locomotives were once manufactured here. The plant spreads over 822 acres, is one of the largest in the country, and at peak rate can roll out 450 vehicles per day.[27]

Civic administration

The civic administration of the city is under multiple hands. They are

Jamshedpur Notified Area Committee (JNAC)

Jamshedpur Utilities and Services Company (JUSCO), a Tata Steel subsidiary

JNAC is divided into two parts, one is the Tata lease area while the other is the non-Tata lease area. The leased area which is 41 km² is managed by JUSCO while the rest is managed by JNAC itself.

MNAC looks after the residential regions of Mango and Pardih, 18 km2 in area.

AMC looks after the 49 km2 of Adityapur region comprising the residential as well the industrial belt.

The government is considering creating a unified municipal administrative body called the Jamshedpur Urban Agglomeration or JUA. The proposed body would comprise the areas currently under the Jamshedpur Notified Area, Adityapur Municipal corporation, Mango Notified Area, Jugsalai Municipality and the towns of Parsudih, Ghorabanda, Chhota Govindpur, Hurlung, Luabasa, Dhanchatani, Chhota Gamharia, Gadra, Sarjamdah, Haludbani, Kitadih, Nandup and Bagbera, which are a part of the Jamshedpur Block, East Singhbhum and Gamharia Block, Seraikela-Kharsawan. The JUA would cover an area of 150 km square[16]

Airport

Sonari Airport is a tiny airport serving the city at present. It is spread over a 25-acre area in the Sonari area of the city. The airport is primarily used for bringing in chartered planes of TATA group.

Tata Steel had in proposed to set up a 600-acre (2.4 km2) Greenfield airport on the outskirts of Jamshedpur in Adityapur-Seraikela region. In June 2011 Tata Steel and TRIL entered formally into a joint venture for building the airport.[28] The new airport will be of international standard with a 10,000 ft runway, it will have the capacity to allow commercial airliners such as the Airbus A320 to land and take off which was not possible from the present airport.[29] As of Dec 2012, Land acquisition process has started for the Airport. Out of 528 acres of required land 90% is owned by Govt. whereas rest is private land. The company is at present facing opposition in the acquisition process from the local villagers.[30]

Shavak Nanavati Technical Institute (SNTI), established in 1921 as the technical training department of Tata Steel, now develops skilled employees for other companies as well. Its 400,000 volume library is one of the most popular in the city.[34][35]

Sports

Jamshedpur has a reputation as the sports capital of Jharkhand with Tata Steel promoting sporting activities. Jamshedpur's private clubs provide opportunities for activities, such as golf, tennis, squash, billiards, horse riding and water scootering.

JRD Tata Sports Complex has an international standard multi-use stadium and an eight-lane monosynthetic track. It is primarily used for football and athletics but it has facilities for various other sports including archery, basketball, field hockey, swimming, table tennis, tennis, volleyball as well as a modern gymnasium, are available at the complex. The stadium hosted the women football competition & archery event of the 34th National Games in 2011.

has a backdrop of the Dalma Hills, providing a picturesque setting for cricket. The stadium is named after John Lawrence Keenan, a former general manager at Tata Steel. The stadium hosted its 1st International One Day Cricket match on 7 December 1983 in which India lost to the touring West Indies Team. Many other International matches have been played here in which India has won only one match against South Africa in 1999–2000. Yuvraj Singh scored his first class highest score of 358 against Bihar at this ground before being selected for the National Team to play the ICC Knock Out Trophy in 2000.

Tata Football Academy (TFA) was started in 1987 to nurture budding Indian footballers and raise the standard of Indian football. TFA is a football club in Jamshedpur, sponsored by Tata Steel. Today, Tata Football Academy is one of the premier football breeding grounds in India.

Tata Archery Academy: archery is a sport indigenous to the tribal people of Chhotanagpur and Santhal Pargana. Tata Steel has pursued and nurtured the local tribals and provided them with facilities and training to bring them up to international competition standards in archery. Its students have attributed a lot of fame to the institute by bringing in many medals in National and Intentional competitions.

Jamshedpur has two golf courses—the Beldih Golf Course and the Golmuri Golf Course. Both these courses are at the heart of the city. The biggest is the Beldih Golf Course which is around 6000 yards. The Golmuri Golf Course although smaller is also challenging. They together hold the annual Tata Open Golf Tournament which is an event held under the support of the Professional Golf Tour of India. The tournament was started in 2002.

Print media

UN selection for pilot project

Jamshedpur was chosen to be one of the six cities to participate in the UN Global Compact Cities pilot programme. The other five cities are Melbourne (Australia), Porto Alegre (Brazil), Tianjin (PRC), Nairobi (Kenya) and San Francisco (USA).

Jamshedpur represented south Asia. Tata Steel's record in community development and its close involvement in providing services to the steel city has been the reason behind Jamshedpur being nominated for the international pilot project.[36]

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